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Letters to Cyclingnews - Special edition - June 9, 2006

It's been another turbulent week in the world of cycling, and Cyclingnews
readers have reacted to the big issues making headlines in the sport.
The ongoing Spanish doping scandal and the Vrijman report were this week's
two big stories and as such prompted plenty ofreaction from our readers.
In the first of three letters page for this week, here is 'the word on
the street' about cycling's latest scandals.

Vino’s position

Ok, so we've all heard about Manolo Saiz and the doping allegations,
which, if true, should ban Mr. Saiz for life from the sport. The
main sponsor has pulled out, the berth at the Tour is in jeopardy,
doctors, DS's and assorted characters are being shown the door or
leaving under their own steam before it really hits the fan.

My question is: what about the riders? I, amongst many others,
I'm sure, was looking forward to watching Vinokourov ply his trade
and attack everyone at the Tour this summer. Now what? Is he getting
a spot on another team? He's worth it in spades! Has he made any
statements? Where's Beloki figure in all this? Are Contador and
Davis adrift? What a shame for this was shaping up to be a Tour
of legend.

For all the bluster and shouting the UCI and WADA make about doping,
they seem ill-equipped to actually present a clear resolution to
the problem, as well as being only mildly interested in the fate
of the riders they're supposed to govern and protect.

Astana-Wurth and the TdF

I just wonder how one team can be banned without any guilt being proved by
any kind of court of justice? All that fuss about doping and Manolo Saiz isn't
explained yet, no one knows who, what and why - is it just my observation or
pro cycling is one and only sport where you can exclude a rider or a whole team
before not after proving any allegations.

A few days ago someone sniffed out Zinedine Zidane to be using banned blood
transfusion methods. And no one really reacted. Imagine such case arising amongst
cyclists, especially non-French ones.

Spanish doping allegations

Why are the broader issues of dope/cheating not highlighted? I submit that
the main problem is that there is no "corporate will" to do so. Would President
Nixon have continued in office if investigative journalism been investigated
(and "made the scapegoat") before the facts of Watergate were discovered?

The UCI is supposed to be the governing body of cycling and as such should
be protecting the sport. The legal aspects of how the results are obtained are
surely the business of other "organisations". I have maintained for many years
that the historic records being kept by both they and the national Federations
(especially the French cycling authority) now have sufficient data to identify
the statistical occurrence of unusual results both in drug-testing and race-results
to be able to target specific cases.

The UCI in association with WADA and national governments should then work
to eliminate the problems instead of continued rhetoric. If they do not we can
expect to see the sport of athletes becoming totally ruined. The amateur addicts
like me will continue to participate but will not join organisations and pay
to compete. End result - no UCI (and relevant other sports organisations) and
these international rulers will be out of work because they didn't do what the
"job" required!

With the publication of the Vrijman report seemingly backed by the UCI with
the words "What strikes one most is that WADA leaves aside the main questions
and conclusions of the report" and "WADA should not be allowed to divert the
attention on side issues..." the UCI might justifiably claim that the rules
were broken by WADA and L'Equipe but, more importantly, are the results of the
tests scientifically accurate?

Surely the main (and only issue) is whether there is use of unethical medical/chemical
assistance in use to obtain results. Whether the culprit is Lance Armstrong
or Manolo Saiz will be argued by lawyers, to their financial benefit, probably
for years. Meantime WADA seem to have detailed proof that there was EPO present
in 1999 Tour de France urine samples. If there is scientific evidence of this
then the logical next step is to perfect the test for future use. Follow this
with tests on samples where the "relevant authorities" have seen fit to advise
teams that their riders are displaying "unusual results when tested" or riders
are producing results that are "extreme".

WADA

“The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) has announced that it will assist the
Spanish investigation into alleged doping practices that has already implicated
Liberty Seguros team manager Manolo Saiz and former Kelme team doctor Eufemiano
Fuentes. WADA announced it would send scientific and general experts to analyse
equipment, substances and blood bags seized by the Spanish Civil Guardia in
the investigation dubbed 'Operation Puerto'. WADA was asked to assist by the
Spanish Superior Council for Sports and has said it will do what it can to assist
in the ongoing investigation.”

Reading between the lines – WADA are going on another crusade. Not content
with the findings of the independent report into Armstrong which raised more
questions about WADA’s own practices and procedures they are trying to bring
the sport down from a different angle. Why don’t we ever hear of their involvement
in any other sport? Can cycling really be the only one tainted with drugs? Of
course not.

My conclusion? Someone at WADA has an agenda with cycling the one and only
item on it. What sort of world body dismisses an investigation by a lawyer and
comments that they ‘"completely rejected" it, calling it "defamatory" to WADA
and the LNDD and "so lacking in professionalism and objectivity that it borders
on farcical"’? With everything that has gone on since it was created WADA should
be very careful about using “defamatory”, “lacking in professionalism and objectivity”
and “farcical”, as the words “pot”, “kettle” and “black” shout out loud and
proud. What they should be saying is “fair enough – we’re not perfect and have
made mistakes, but hey! We’re trying to clean up sport and we need everyone’s
help to eliminate this scourge.” Only when they are seen as a professional organisation
and not a tabloid newspaper will they really have the authority to make a difference.

Vrijman's findings

Wow. I must first confess to not having read the entire report, while I did
read the final 10 pages, and now the first 17, but it would seem that this is
as thorough a report as we are going to see until WADA, LNDD, and the French
Ministry provide any missing information (if ever).

I am not going to go into any long drawn out discussion here, but I really
liked the Executive Summary that opens the document. I thought that the beginning
to 1.15 "The results reported by the LNDD that found their way into the L'Equipe
article are not what they have been represented to be," pretty much says it
all.

That clearly the analysis/research that was done, was not done to the standards
and the rules regarding a true test for doping substances. "To suggest in any
way that any of the analyses results could properly be associated with a particular
rider or riders, is misleading and constitutes at least gross negligence..."
is another statement from the same section.

I cannot say that my opinion of Dick Pound changed any after reading this report.
Apparently my opinion of him was already at its lowest. In my opinion WADA (under
Dick Pound) appears to lack any real credibility.

That Report

Dear Sir

I sat down yesterday to read the Vrijman page by page. Initially I thought
it might be a cover-up vindicating Armstrong and cycling in general; however,
I was wrong. The report points to a number of violations of procedure involving
the French laboratory, the French Ministry and WADA that are simply shocking.
How professional people involved in tracking the unethical use of drugs in sport
could be so corrupt is stunning.

After reading the report I looked up `Dick Pound' on the web to find out more
about him, I was surprised that his attitude to doping is not clear-cut (see
the Ben Johnson case), and that he worked for the IOC at a time when it went
out of its way to cover up doping.

I next thought back to the events of 1998 when the Tour de France came to a
standstill. I was in France at the time and the `word on the street' was that
there had been a falling out between the French government and the Tour organisers.
The French government told the authorities to go in heavy on the Tour and the
rest is history. The football World Cup had been held in France the same year,
but oddly the French authorities took no action against the doping that was
occurring in that competition.

So what we are left with appears to be a laboratory set up to test for the
misuse of drugs in sport that is incompetent and prepared to break every rule
of proper medical research, the rules of WADA and French law in order to sully
the reputation of a rider. We have a French ministry that appears to share the
corrupt values of its President. And we have WADA, an organisation headed by
a man of dubious ethics, that is happy to break even its own rules for political
purposes, and then blame others.

If you feel the same way about this as I do then email WADA (contact details
at http://www.wada-ama.org/en/dynamic.ch2?pageCategory.id=244) and ask them
when we can expect the resignations of the people responsible for this disgrace.

WADA and Armstrong

A letter to Mr. Pound,

I agree with your assessment that the UCI report does not address whether tests
showing EPO in Armstrong's 1999 samples are accurate or not. However, it is
clear that this issue will never be solved. The are no existing protocols for
testing samples that old and duplicate samples were not saved. Just as in the
criminal justice system, due process is critical in establishing a fair drug
testing system. Armstrong is right to complain that precise protocols of testing
and then distributing that information have to be followed in all cases. If
the police illegally search your home, that evidence cannot be used against
you, no matter how damning.

Bottom line, you have to let this one go. He never tested positive in a real
test at the time of his events. You may believe he was beating the tests and
doping, but I think you have to go by the tests in place at the time the event
was held. Am I going to find out in 2011 that Basso didn't really win the Giro
this year? A fan just wants to believe what he is seeing. If you think the athletes
are cheating, come up with better methods of detecting doping at the time the
events are held. Sloppily testing samples stored for years using questionable
methods and then leaking that information to the press leaves fans in a horrible
quagmire of whom to believe, the athlete or WADA?

WADA vs. UCI vs. the riders

I just want to take this chance to applaud the UCI for finally taking a stand
and fighting for something (other than the ProTour, which I really think is
a great idea albeit with some changes). But the UCI has finally gone and is
standing up against the Juggernaut that is the WADA.

It seems to me that the riders are not being treated fairly at all and that
this has been the case since the Festina Affair of 1998. I can understand the
need to clean up the sport. But the WADA, in my opinion has overstepped too
many times. As an amateur cyclist who has aspirations of riding as a professional
it is VERY sad when you think about giving it up because of how unfairly the
athletes are treated!

I don't know whether Tyler Hamilton doped or did not, but I feel his case was
not treated in a fair manner, and the pre-emptive "We know he doped" was one
of the most unprofessional things a large agency has done! Then the WADA decides
to supposedly test samples for "research" but makes sure that they know which
rider they come from? Even if this isn't true, the fact that it could be true
scares me a lot!

The WADA is taking the stance that riders are guilty until proven innocent.
Well in the USA it is innocent until proven guilty, and everyone should have
a fair chance. The WADA has been pushing the limits, and is now doing more damage
to sport when it should be trying to help grow sport! The riders have rights,
and even if someone has doped there is a procedure that must be followed. If
the WADA cannot follow its own drug testing procedures how do we know if they
are following any other rules?

So good for you UCI, finally someone is standing up and saying that the WADA
has overstepped its bounds...which in my opinion happened a long time ago! I
hope they can get their act together, because I would like to compete in the
most beautiful sport in the world knowing that athletes are being treated fairly
and are given the respect they deserve!

WADA's double standard

Cyclingnews,

It is especially ironic, now that the Vrijman Report “calls-out” WADA and Dick
Pound for their obvious abuses of athletes’ due process that they (WADA and
Dick Pound) now state that, “WADA has taken legal advice regarding its recourses
against the investigator and any organisation, including the UCI that may publicly
adopt its conclusions.”

Throughout the past WADA and Dick Pound have dismissed any attempt to use the
legal system to hold them accountable…but now that they feel that someone has
falsely accused them, they are quick to threaten legal action against “any organisation…that
my publicly adopt its conclusions.” It’s hard to stop laughing.

WADA and Pound missing the point

Recent events have solidified my pessimism concerning professional cyclists,
and professional athletes in general. I love the sport of cycling and enjoy
watching it, and will continue to do so regardless of what the athletes do to
enhance their performance. However, I find it insulting to listen to cyclists
make claims that only a mindless person would believe.

I am sure that Tyler Hamilton had a "vanishing twin" in utero, that various
professional cyclists' family members had EPO in their trunk for their own personal
use and that, while most of the Festina team admitted to being involved in an
elaborate drug scheme, Richard Virenque was clean for his whole career. Come
on! I rarely read cycling news or other cycling-related news without being insulted
by an athlete who has been busted and is doling out some lame excuse that we
seem to mindlessly accept without criticism.

All of that said, I think that WADA and Dick Pound are missing the point on
the Armstrong issue. I am not going to debate whether or not Armstrong used
performance enhancers because, with respect to the L'Equipe story, it is irrelevant.
One of the most fundamental pillars of scientific research is that those who
volunteer to be studied be granted confidentiality. Can you imagine early AIDS
research getting anywhere if subjects had not been promised confidentiality?
It was absolutely unethical for the information linking Armstrong to a subject-number
to be released. As such, any information derived from that link was fruit of
a poisonous tree.

While the (apparently pointless) fight against doping must continue, it is
too bad that those at the helm of the fight cannot see the folly in the way
in which the "Equipe" story came about and dismiss it accordingly. In my view,
this breech of confidentiality is more serious, and has more potential consequences,
that determining whether or not Armstrong cheated in any of his Tour de France
victories.

Pound should resign

In light of the recent UCI findings, exonerating Lance Armstrong of doping
charges in 1999, why can't this man accept the result of a UCI sanctioned investigation?

Does Mr. Pound have information that others don’t? Why then he does not publish
it and give the complete and honest answer to this saga?

It is quite obvious that he trust a French lab, even though it is also clear
that the lab has not followed unbiased and scientific procedures.

I admire the relentless pursuit of doping charges and cleaning up all sports
of the use of illegal drugs, but this cannot be done as a wild and illegal chase.

THE ENDS DO NOT JUSIFY THE MEANS, Mr. Pound.

If you think of yourself as the totalitarian of Anti-Doping, ignoring rules
and procedures, you are utterly failing your mission. After all, what is the
difference between you (or the French lab) and the doper? And who is responsible
for the greater offense?

Pound should resign #2

Paul Hurdlow writes

It has never been about testing the use of EPO by Lance Armstrong in the 1999
Tour, as that was not and cannot be done under any approved protocol.

Well for me it is ALL about EPO use by Lance Armstrong. Which, as far as I
can see from the facts, has been shown to have occurred, albeit by an unapproved
protocol. Armstrong's use of EPO proves a couple of important things which people
would do well to take note of.

1. Success at the top level of cycling for the last seven years (or just in
1999, take your pick) has been based on doping.
2. Armstrong is a cynical, lying, cheat. In the world of pro cycling he is by
no means the only competitor to behave so. His bullying of Christophe Bassons
appears all the more shameful now.

A Pound of what?

Who to believe in this one? An independent lawyer appointed by the UCI or Dick
Pound and an independent WADA, L’Equipe, and a Lab?

For mine the lab has behaved unprofessionally by not following protocols –
The basic purpose of any lab.

WADA has compromised itself by not co-operating fully and with the UCI investigation
– surely raising questions about its own integrity

Dick Pound has a history of misguided, baseless rants on the subject of who
does/does not take drugs, The Australian swim team for example. He does so with
impunity for he appears to answer to no-one.

L’Equipe has papers to sell, and let’s face it, is not much more than a sports
tabloid – not generally read for its fearless dedication to journalistic standards.

The UCI did establish itself as the correct body to conduct the investigation,
with the power to impose sanctions if required. They have been struggling over
the past decades to re-establish themselves as the relevant and trustworthy
arbiters in these matters.

They stand to lose a great deal if they stuff this up. And then the lawyer,
anyone who said yes to taking on this one is obviously confident in his capacity
to remain objective.

If proven otherwise, then he and his team become pariahs within their own profession,
as well as the broader community. From where I sit, a distant observer with
nothing to go on but what I read and hear in the public domain, I’m with the
UCI on this one.

The role of the AIGCP

Someone should stand up for the injustice Phonak is committing against Santiago
Botero and Jose Enrique Gutierrez. Isn't the Association International Group
of Cycling Professionals (AIGCP) supposed to support its riders’ rights? Can
Cyclingnews use its considerable muscle to obtain a statement from AIGCP about
the withholding by Phonak of Botero and Gutierrez from racing? Shouldn't a rider
be innocent until proven guilty?

Why is AIGCP allowing Phonak to withhold two riders who have never failed a
drug test? Didn't Gutierrez just get tested (multiple times) at both the Tour
of Georgia and Giro? Did he fail any of those tests? If not, and he is clean,
how can AIGCP allow Phonak to cripple the careers of two riders? Shouldn't AIGCP
threaten to sue Phonak is they don't immediately release both riders for racing?
What T-Mobile did with Seville seems to be more appropriate, and if that was
good enough for T-Mobile why isn't it good enough for Phonak? Are they just
over reacting from the Tyler Hamilton issue, and if so, how is that fair to
Botero and Gutierrez?

In a way this is like the Barry Bonds issue. We all know he took steroids between
1998 and 2004. However, at the time there was no rule prohibiting steroid use.
When the rule was put into place Bonds complied, and has never been found guilty
of being on steroids. Does that mean his homeruns from the past don't count?
How could you disqualify homeruns that weren't illegal when they were hit?

So too with Botero and Gutierrez - even if they did do drugs back in 1996 with
Kelme or any other team, how can you punish them today for something they have
stopped doing? They are riding clean, and that is what the sport wants. Cycling
wants its riders to ride clean, and should support them as long as that is what
they are in fact doing. Richard Virenque won his polka dot jersey after stopping
drugs, and we were all happy. Shouldn't Phonak be cheering for Gutierrez' fine
second place finish in the Giro? Without current facts to the contrary, both
Botero and Gutierrez should be riding today.

The Spanish operation

Maybe I'm just simple minded, or maybe I've watched too many crime shows on
the tube, but the recent Spanish Operation shouldn't be too complicated. The
Spanish authorities have many bags of blood. They also have a list with the
names of many athletes.

First you DNA test the blood samples, then you DNA test the athletes. They
don't have a "5th Amendment" in Europe, do they? Athletes who don't cooperate
or their lawyers will have some explaining to do.

And while they're at it, maybe they should test the WADA and UCI Muckamucks
to find out what they've been taking that causes such irrational behaviour and
violent mood swings. It can't be legal. As for Manolo S, just take out the trash.
He has more smoking guns in his past than a Dirty Harry movie.

Botero interview

Hi,

A demoralised and dejected Santiago Botero gave an interesting interview to
Colombian daily El Tiempo on http://eltiempo.terra.com.co/depo/cicl/cicl_int/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-_NOTA_INTERIOR-2925752.html,
where he calls his sporting year over.

He admits to seeing Fuentes and Labarca, as they were the team doctors over
the years he was at Kelme. He claims to have continued to see them afterwards
to carry out occasional effort tests, as they were the doctors doing this sort
of procedure that he knew in Madrid, where he resides. Believe him or not (I
choose to, but understand doubters given recent scandals), his explanation for
sustaining some relationship to the doctors seems perfectly reasonable.

If, as it seems, Fuentes and Labarca are involved in doping, they could only
put themselves in a position to do so by treating athletes legally first and
building relationships within the peloton. They probably do not treat athletes
exclusively for doping, and Botero's version is perfectly plausible.

It seems that, in assuming cyclists are guilty until proven otherwise, teams
and governing bodies are attempting to put the good of the sport over the career
or morale of any particular individual. I wonder if this is the right course
of action, as it seems to rather multiply suspicion and, worst of all, cast
doubt on the mechanisms that are most used to control doping, that is controls,
of which Botero, Armstrong and others have had so many.

Say it isn't so, Manolo

In response to Michael Gizaris’ letter, 27 May 2006

If we allow the people that want to 'charge up' do it openly and keep them
away from those that remain clean, would we be better having 'clean' events
and 'assisted' events? I know that in body building there are already 'clean'
events. Why not take it to the logical conclusion and have a 'Drug Olympics'
following straight on from the 'clean' version'?

Sport is more than just sport. It’s also business and entertainment. Which
event would get the most viewers, the 'clean' or the 'chemically enhanced'?
If a TV viewing figures favoured the drug events (and if they go faster surely
they would) the advertising money would follow. 'Clean' sport would drop from
the professional status it currently enjoys.

Add to this the confusion in the public's mind about what constitutes doping.
Are those iron and vitamin injections cheating? How about caffeine pills? Are
they any different to several cups of strong coffee? If I lived at altitude,
why would that be different to EPO? If I can buy something at the chemists,
without prescription, to help me with a head cold why should it exclude me from
competition?

May 26 - Special edition:
Say it ain't so, Manolo, Say it isn't so, Spanish Federations' reaction to
Saiz, The doping scandal to end them all

May 19: Bettini is consistent,
Banning of altitude tents, Hypoxic tents, WADA and altitude tents, Latest
WADA crusade, WADA bans another, Congrats to Jan, Criticism of Jan Ullrich,
Jan bashing, Jan ready for the Tour, Jan's good form, Armstrong - the New
American Idol, The same old Lance, Defeatism in Discovery, Giro reactions,
One of Savoldelli's secrets, Rasmussen's time trial position, Riders under
helmets, Difference between following and leading, The Tour and the TT, Bruyneel's
Giro comments, When disqualification isn't enough

May 12: Marion Clignet, Bruyneel's
Giro comments, Criticism of Jan Ullrich, Jan bashing, Jan's weight, Defeatism
in Discovery, Lance talking up Basso, The same old Lance, Rasmussen's time
trial position, Giro team time trial, Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix, Riders under
helmets

April 28: Working for the team
in Georgia, Ullrich's thick skin, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Jan Ullrich racing,
Ullrich and THAT wheel, Jan Ullrich, Jan dramas, Paris-Roubaix technology,
Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix controversy, Paris-Roubaix comments,
Paris-Roubaix tech, Team helmets

April 21: Paris-Roubaix final
say, Paris-Roubaix controversy, Paris-Roubaix and technology, George and the
fork issue, Quotable quotes, Cycling technology, Behaving like a champion,
Paris-Roubaix: UCI Code of Ethics

April 7: Hang in there Saul,
De Ronde parcours, Edwig van Hooydonk, Discovery’s American riders, Tom Boonen,
April fools, Hair care product line, Brave new world, Commonwealth Games time
trial, Photo of the year

March 31: Discovery’s American
riders, Photo of the year, Commonwealth Games time trial, Edwig van Hooydonk

February 10: Ullrich and the
2006 Tour, Too early to call the Tour, AIS crash verdict, Punishment for the
death of Amy Gillett, Women's cycling, Support for Mark French, Michael Rassmussen,
More Kilo and 500m TT argument, Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Hour record,
Sanctions for doping

February 3: International teams,
Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Anti-doping tactics, Ullrich and the 2006
Tour, Too early to call the Tour, Tour of California, Phonak training camp
feature, Aussie national champs, More Kilo and 500m TT argument, McQuaid and
the UCI, Australian championships, Support for Mark French, Sanctions for
doping, Women's cycling, Team strip

January 24: Future of Spanish
cycling, Australian championships, Aussie national champs - a deserved winner,
Aussie nationals, World champion kit, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, With Lance
gone, Some observations on Oz, PCA suing Dick Pound, International teams

January 6: The Tour hypocrisy,
Pat McQuaid, McQuaid, Bart Wellens, Urine testing, Dope so you can

January 3: That damn Lance,
Bart Wellens, Cyclists in South Australia, EGO Mania, King Pound, Urine testing
for rEPO, The Tour hypocrisy, Dope so you can, Give McQuaid a chance, Elimination
Tour de France